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Besan Ki Laddoos

When I first arrived in India to get married, I obviously didn't have children and used to spend a lot of time on my own, reading and writing letters to friends and keeping a diary (into which I had very little to write - there wasn't much activity going on - Yash was out of the house for twelve to fourteen hours daily and I spent a lot of time in my room). I used to enjoy the company of my two (then) small nephews, Sonu and Monu. Now they are grown up. Sonu is doing his post-graduation (MBA) and Monu is doing engineering. But I remember those days.

I first met Monu the younger one, when he was just three years old. He had, I thought, an extremely advanced sense of humour for a small child. He made me laugh a lot of times.

One day, my mother in law had made a type of homemade sweet called 'besan ki laddoo' and gave some to me and the children to eat. How can I describe a laddoo? It is a round shaped sweet, it would remind a westerner of a thick lump of sweet cake icing. It is rather heavy to eat. In those days, however, I was quite slim and didn't have to watch my weight too much.

I was rather hungry. Before I knew it, I'd devoured two laddoos in quick succession. The children didn't touch them, as they were not in the mood. I idly picked u a third. Then I noticed Monu staring - yes, staring - at me. There was a sort of wonderment in his eyes which I liked seeing.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"You had three?" he asked, astonished.

"Almost," I said. "This is my third."

I was so flattered that he was impressed, that I picked up a fourth besan ki laddoo and started eating it. It was difficult to get to the end of the sweet, I was beginning to feel sick. The child, however, was looking deliriously happy and I didn't have the heart to disappoint him. So finish it I did. Somehow. Don't know how!

His eyes narrowed wickedly. Then he said:

"Aunty! Eat one more!"

Too much! Too much! I fled from the scene....

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